The Vampire Wars: Jasper's Story
by laylawi
Summary: The story of the Southern Vampire Wars and Jasper's history before and after meeting the Cullens. Rated M just to be safe due to some language and violence. Hope you enjoy!
1. Creator

****Obviously I don't own any of the Cullens or Maria, Nettie, or Lucy. And in this chapter, there are several instances where I don't own the dialogue. After this chapter, it should all be mine. Also, the dates that SM used for Jasper's transformation aren't quite historically accurate with his age so I have also taken some liberties with the dates. If he was transformed during the First battle of Galveston as it says in the book, he would have been changed when he was only 19. I have changed dates so he is 20. This is my first fanfic, so please be gentle, but constructive...and enjoy!****

**_Present Day: Forks, Washington_**

I was uncomfortable as all attention was suddenly upon me. My eyes flickered towards Alice, who smiled encouragingly at me. I felt the love emanating from her, which calmed me enough to start my story. I looked at Bella's face, seeing the confusion in her brown eyes. It didn't take any special powers to realize she had no idea what I was talking about. "You're confused," I spoke plainly.

"We're all confused," Emmett grumbled.

I smiled as I looked at my brother. "You can afford the time to be patient." I turned to Bella. "Bella should understand this, too. She's one of us now."

I could feel her surprise at my words. The emotion made me a little sad as I realized that Bella had never felt completely comfortable around me. It probably hadn't helped that the last time we had really interacted, I had tried to kill her. I still felt pretty bad about that incident. "How much do you know about me, Bella?" I could feel Emmett's impatience as he left the room to wait out the story.

"Not much," she answered.

_Have you told her about Maria and the southern covens? _I met Edward's golden gaze as I asked the question.

"No," he replied. "I'm sure you can understand why I haven't told her that story. But I suppose she needs to hear it now."

I nodded and pursed my lips, unsure of where to begin. I reached for the cuff of my ivory sweater and began to roll up the sleeve. Walking towards the lamp next to where Bella sat, I placed my arm under the glaring bulb. I could feel her confusion as she looked at my imperfect alabaster skin, trying to figure out what I was showing her.

"Oh! Jasper, you have a scar exactly like mine!" She placed her hand close enough to mine that I could feel the warmth from her skin on mine. The fire flared up in my throat as her scent flooded my nose. I tamped down the urge before my brother decided to rip my throat out, and smiled at Bella.

"I have a lot of scars like yours, Bella." I could still feel her confusion, so I rolled the rest of my sleeve up, past my elbow. I was always a little hesitant to show my scars to anyone other than my family, for fear that they would consider me a threat. However, to mere human eyes, the scars weren't very noticeable and since Bella was very nearly family anyway, I didn't see the harm. I could see her squinting, angling her head under the lamp, trying to get a closer look. I held my breath as her hair brushed my arm and I could feel her warm breath on my skin. I controlled my thoughts as best I could, but still got a nasty glare from Edward.

Bella pulled back, her shock evident. Her brown eyes caught my gold ones. "Jasper, what _happened _to you?"

"The same thing that happened to your hand," I answered. "Repeated a thousand times." I ran my hand over my exposed skin. "Our venom is the only thing that leaves a scar."

Bella's forehead crinkled and I felt her horror as she looked at me. "Why?" I could tell she was trying not to stare, but her chocolate eyes kept flickering towards my scars.

"I didn't have quite the same...upbringing as my adopted siblings here. My beginning was something else entirely." As I told Bella the story of my creation, I allowed myself to get sucked into the memories. It all came back with startling clarity, even after nearly 140 years...

**_San Antonio, Texas, July 3, 1863_**

"Major Whitlock!" the young private sprinted towards me on foot, gasping as he ran. I turned in my saddle to see the young boy stop and salute me.

"What is it, Private?" I asked, returning his salute.

"I have a message for you from Houston," he explained, holding out his hand in which was clutched a piece of paper. I grabbed it and unfolded it, grimacing at the dampness of the letter caused by the young man's grasp.

_Major Jasper Whitlock:_

_You have been reassigned to the docks at Galveston to assist in the evacuation of the civilians. You will report to Colonel Halston by July 10, 1863._

_Regards,_

_Brigadier General Thomas Carrington_

I frowned and folded up the missive, tucking it into my uniform pocket. I nodded my thanks to the private, taking in his bright red face, youthful and innocent. It was not lost on me that this private was probably only two or three years younger than me, yet I outranked him considerably. I had looked older than my seventeen years when I enlisted and that was before I had seen my fair share of death and destruction. _I must look ancient now,_ I thought ruefully. I had never regretted my decision to join the Confederate Army, but I did miss my lost youth.

Pulling off my gray hat, I wiped the sweat from my brow as the moisture ran in rivulets down my face due to the hot Texas sun. _Galveston, _I thought to myself. _At least the weather is cooler there. _"Well, Sarge," I spoke to my horse, "looks like we're on our way to the coast." I spurred him in the direction of my Lieutenant Colonel's tent. As I rode through the camp, I took in the sights and smells of my surroundings. I noticed several local whores lounging around the enlisted mens' tents, hoping to score a few pennies for their time. I looked away quickly, avoiding any eye contact. I knew I was a catch, having thick curly blond hair and bright blue eyes. And if I was being honest, the rank of Major was definitely an asset, having snared a few beautiful women for myself for a night here and there, but I refused to touch these women. These women who had at one point been involved with nearly every man in the camp already. I curled my lip as I heard them calling out to me.

I stopped at the hitching post near the command tent and tied Sarge loosely to the pole. I arrived at the large tent and walked through the wide entrance, the small spurs on my black boots jangling quietly as I entered. "Lieutenant Colonel James?"

The balding officer looked up from his table of maps. "Major?"

I handed him the missive regarding my transfer. The Lieutenant Colonel took it questioningly, his forehead wrinkling. He read the note quickly. "Damn that Carrington!" he swore, crumpling the paper and throwing it at the corner of his tent. "Leave it to him to take my best damn officer! The arrogance of that son of a bitch!"

I stood quietly in the face of my commanding officer's tirade, waiting for him to accept the inevitable. I worried that the large man pacing his tent in front of me would keel over. He pulled a handkerchief from his sleeve and used it to mop his rather large forehead, made larger by his receding hairline. His rotund belly was barely covered by his gray uniform, the heavy buttons straining. I knew that it was caused by his extreme fondness for whiskey, but never mentioned it. Even after the day that I was forced to lead a battle charge due to his inability to rise from his bed after a night of heavy drinking and whoring. In truth I was pleased to be leaving his command.

I was actually surprised that James wasn't thrilled that I was leaving. He was from San Antonio and his wife and daughter would frequently visit the camp to bring food for the officers. More than once I caught his lovely 18 year old daughter watching me appraisingly. For a time I had considered asking permission to court her until I caught her with one of the enlisted men behind an outhouse in a very compromising position, his mouth to her throat and her skirts hitched up over her thighs. I broke up the liason, pulling the man off of her and dragging her back to her front door. She looked at me in the moonlight, her beautiful green eyes brimming with tears as she claimed the young man had forced himself on her.

I could feel the lies emanating from her and merely cocked an eyebrow at her story. She continued on, trying to convince me that she really cared for me and asked if I would ever ask for her father's permission to court her. In response, she had thrown herself at me, her lips trying to find mine. I pushed her away in disgust and escorted her into her house without saying a word. Being the gentlemen that I was, I never reported her to her father, but after that she would constantly bad mouth me to my senior officer.

James finally stopped his ranting to turn to me. "Well, what are you waiting for?" he shouted, turning his anger towards me. "You better report to Carrington so you can be his little pet!"

Saying nothing, merely widening my eyes at this statement. _As if I had a choice in this transfer anyway, _I thought to myself. I saluted the Lieutenant Colonel and spun around on my heel to stride out of his tent, shaking my head as he continued his ranting.

I emerged into the sunlight, squinting painfully at the sudden glare. "Jasper, wait up!" I turned to see my only true friend in the camp walk towards me.

"Hey, David," I answered, waiting for him to catch up to me.

Smiling, David glanced over his shoulder at the shouting Lieutenant Colonel. "What did you do to James? He looks about ready to die from apoplexy!"

I grinned. "I got a transfer."

David's jaw dropped. "No shit?" he responded. His brown eyes looked downcast. "Good for you. At least you are getting out of this hellhole!"

We reached my horse, waiting quietly. I turned to my friend and clasped him on the shoulder. "I wish you the best, my friend."

"Thanks," the Lieutenant answered. "You be careful out there, and I expect to hear from you after all of this is over! I still have to introduce you to my sister!"

I chuckled and threw a leg over Sarge's back. "Can't wait to meet her!" I shouted, wheeling the big bay around and trotting off. I regretted leaving David. We had been close friends for about a year, ever since I had been transferred to San Antonio. I was going to miss him.

**_Galveston, Texas, July 10th, 1863_**

I arrived at Galveston a week later, glad to finally see the ocean on the horizon. Sarge was sweaty from the hot sun beating down on us and my blond locks were plastered to my forehead. It was a relief to feel the breeze from the ocean blow over us. I pulled my hat off and tipped my face back, inhaling the salty smell. I rode into the military camp and immediately found my commanding officer who, to my great relief, actually looked and acted like an officer whom I could respect.

Soon after checking in with him, I was told to help with the evacuation of all of the locals, guiding them to Houston. I was able to sneak in a nap and a bath at the local hotel and after saying goodbye to Sarge and exchanging horses, I was off again, mounted on a chestnut gelding, the early morning sun shining brightly.

A few hours later, I found myself on a trail with about 50 people trudging along, the sun beating down on me again. I loved Texas, but I often found myself wishing I lived somewhere a little bit colder.

"Whitlock!" Colonel Halston shouted from the front of the long line of people.

I trotted towards him, where he sat on a magnificent gray. "Sir?" I asked.

He nodded towards the back of the line of people. "Make sure no one is straggling behind."

"Yes sir," I saluted and kicked my horse into a canter, heading down the line of people. It was sad to see all of these people, crying and clutching whatever belongings they were able to grab before they were evacuated. We were in a hurry as we knew the Union mortar boats were due to arrive at any moment, their objective to take Galveston back, as it was a major seaport for our army.

As I rode down the line, a small girl suddenly darted out of the line and ran in front of me. My exhausted horse started violently and I was barely able to turn him away from the girl before she was crushed by his sharp hooves. His front feet landed harmlessly away from her and she looked up in fear.

"Amelia!" a woman bolted towards her shouting in fright. I dismounted and ran to her side.

The woman clutched at the girl, who wept into her skirt. "Is she all right?" I asked anxiously.

"I-I think so," the woman gasped. She turned to me and paused, taking in my handsome blond features.

Looking at her tear-stained face, my heart went out to the woman. I placed a hand on her shoulder. "It's really going to be all right," I reassured her. Her pretty face calmed with my words and she pushed her daughter back towards the line of refugees. I watched her walk away with a puzzled look on her face. I climbed aboard my horse, smiling slightly as I did so. I had always had that effect on people, as long as I could remember. I was always able to convince them to do what I wanted, and was able to calm people whenever I wanted. Charisma, my father had called it. I was convinced it was just because I was a good public speaker. And the good looks always helped. I was never particularly vain, but sometimes having the face of an Adonis did come in handy.

I continued to ride up and down the line of people, ensuring that everybody was keeping up. By nightfall, we could see the city of Houston come into view. I could feel the relief of everyone as we brought them to a small settlement where they could stay until their homes were safe once again. As soon as all of the refugees were situated, I grabbed another fresh horse and charged back to Galveston, ready to guide the next set of people.

On the way back, I encountered three figures walking along the trail. I was confused, since I had been very careful to watch for stragglers. I approached them, assuming they had gotten lost and were just now finding their way into Houston. Dismounting, I headed towards them to see if they needed help. I was astonished at the faces that greeted me beneath the cloaks they wore.

There were three of them, all women, but very young. They seemed even younger than my 20 years, and they were all extraordinarily beautiful! The woman in the front had porcelain features and was Mexican. The girl on her left was tall and blonde, and the third was also blonde, but shorter. I gawked at them one by one, unsure of what to say to such perfection.

"He's speechless," the taller blonde girl spoke. Her voice sounded as if she were singing, it was so lyrical in it's tone.

The shorter blonde leaned towards me and inhaled. "Mmmm, lovely." I took a slight step back at the close proximity.

The brunette spoke sharply. "Concentrate, Nettie."

I could tell by the reaction of the other two that this brunette was in charge. She carried herself as if she was the leader. She continued, her eyes scanning me up and down. "He looks right - young, strong, an officer." She cocked her head to look directly into my blue eyes. "And there's something more...do you sense it? He's...compelling."

"Oh yes," the girl called Nettie agreed. She leaned towards me again, getting quite close to my gray uniform. I stood stock-still this time, unsure of what to make of these beautiful women. They spoke very fast, making it difficult for me to understand what they were talking about.

"Patience," the leader cautioned. "I want to keep this one."

The blonde leaned back, frowning at the brunette. "You'd better do it, Maria," the taller girl spoke up. "If he's important to you. I kill them twice as often as I keep them."

The brunette nodded. "Yes, I'll do it," she answered. "I really do like this one. Take Nettie away, will you? I don't want to have to protect my back while I'm trying to focus."

I looked at the women one by one, the hair standing on the back of my neck as the taller girl talked of killing people. In my mind, I knew I had nothing to fear from these tiny women, as my 6'3" frame towered over the tallest girl by almost a foot. Still, I couldn't identify the feeling of fear in my stomach as I watched them communicate with each other. Suddenly the taller girl announced that they were going to hunt, and grabbed Nettie's hand. Together they sprinted off into the darkness.

I turned my attention back to Maria, who merely watched me quietly. Her beautiful eyes narrowed as they swept over me once again. "What is your name, soldier?" she asked quietly.

"Major Jasper Whitlock, ma'am," I replied automatically.

Maria swept closer, her luscious figure pressing against mine. I fought against the instinct to back away. After all, she was a woman, and a beautiful one at that. And I was a perfectly healthy man, my body responding as it was meant to.

"I truly hope you survive, Jasper. I have a good feeling about you." She tilted her head up as if to kiss my throat. I was unable to move, even as I felt a sharp burning sensation as her dazzling white teeth tore into my flesh.

*****I hope you enjoyed! I know I didn't flesh out Jasper's being human much, but this story isn't really focused on that as much as his years as a vampire before he meets the Cullens*****

**Stay turned for Chapter Two! :)**


	2. Creation

*****I don't own Jasper, Maria, Nettie, or Lucy. They belong to Stephenie Meyer. Everybody else is mine...not that anyone else lasts very long in this chapter! Enjoy!*****

Now, I had always considered myself to be a very strong man. When I was ten, I had fallen out of a tree and broken both wrists. I never cried nor complained during the long months it took for them to heal. When I was fourteen, I had gotten kicked in the chest by a horse and broken several ribs. I was stoic during the accident and recovery process. Even after being shot in the shoulder during the Battle of Shiloh in Tennessee, I never made a sound while the surgeon painfully dug the ball out of the muscle and sinew.

But this? I was convinced that the beautiful Mexican girl had killed me and I had been sent straight to Hell. There was no other explanation for the sheer torture I was feeling. It felt as if my entire body was engulfed in flames and there was nothing I could do to extinguish them. I could hear the occasional whimpers and groans escaping from my lips as the fire licked its way through my body.

In a sane part of my brain, I could understand why I had been sent to Hell. I had killed my fair share of Union soldiers, and I knew that it was going to catch up to me in the after life. But, another part of my brain protested, arguing that I had killed under orders. I never had the choice. It was kill or be killed in those battles. But, the first part reasoned, I chose to sign up for the war.

Eventually even the sane parts of my mind were consumed by the agony and I could think no more about anything but the pain. My hands were clenched so tightly I could feel my fingernails digging through the flesh; could feel the blood dripping out of them. As the inferno grew hotter in my torso, my back arched and I couldn't stop the screams from escaping.

Maybe I did deserve Hell, I thought. Who knows why some people are sent there. But I didn't understand what I possibly could have done to deserve this! I had never killed for the fun of it, only under orders. Why me? Why was I sentenced to this? No one deserved this kind of Hell! "I'm sorry," I whimpered painfully. "Whatever I did, I'm sorry." It sounded more like a hoarse whisper, but I had to try. I had to communicate with my tormenters so they would release me from this misery.

I was vaguely aware of my legs curling towards my chest as the fire consumed the nerves all the way down to my feet. That's odd, I thought. I could still feel my boots with their spurs. Did people in Hell still wear the clothes they were killed in? Now that I thought about it, I could also feel my gray pants pulling at my knees as my legs were bending.

I began focusing on outside distractions...anything to get away from the horrific agony my body was going through. I inhaled deeply, smelling cigar smoke and alcohol. Did people smoke and drink in Hell? I wondered. I could hear voices speaking, but was unable to focus on any of them. Some part of me noted the sounds of saloon music, but I couldn't quite get my brain around that either. Apparently Hell was just a giant saloon, with the added bonus of the severe pain and suffering.

I heard a door open and close gently. I was aware of two sets of footsteps come towards me. "Hmm, I have the feeling I'm going to like this one," I heard a tinkling voice speak.

"Easy Nettie," another sing-song voice joined. "This one's for Maria."

I could hear the petulant air in the response. "It's not fair, Lucy," she whined. "Why does Maria always get the pretty ones?"

I tried to argue that I, as a man, could never be considered pretty. Dashing, heroic, yes, but certainly not pretty! I would have chuckled over the pettiness in my thoughts if it hadn't been for the hellacious pain in the back of my throat. I was aware of the pain receding from my extremities and for that I was grateful. But my heart felt as if it was going to pound out of my chest and I just groaned and began praying for death...assuming I wasn't dead already. I sincerely hoped that I wasn't, since that would mean that perhaps after I did die, I would have a respite from the pain.

"His heart is failing," I heard one of the women comment. "We should get Maria."

The door opened and closed and I was once again alone in my agony. I wanted to call out to the women, to ask them to return so they could kill me and end this, but I was unable to find my voice. I gasped as my heart raced painfully and was suddenly still. Was I dead? Was this it? The pain was finally gone except for my throat. The flames were still flaring quite noticeably there. I slowly opened my eyes and was surprised to see I was lying on a bed in what looked to be a hotel room. That would explain the saloon music below.

I carefully flexed my arms and legs and was surprised at how easy the action was. I stood slowly, worried that the pain would come back if I moved too swiftly. I was standing upright the moment I thought of it. I frowned, looking around the room, confused as to what was going on. I took a deep breath and was surprised to smell...well...everything! I could smell the cigar smoke and alcohol downstairs as well as the dust and horses outside. I smelled the previous occupants of this room, the smell of sweat and sex.

And the noises! I could hear people laughing and talking downstairs as well as outside. I could even hear specific conversations being held by gentlemen out in the street! I started to walk towards the window to see outside, but was stopped as I walked by the mirror. Startled, I spun around to face it. Mouth open, I gazed at my reflection, so much the same and yet completely different. I plowed my hand through my hair. That hadn't changed; it was still blond and curly. But my skin was pale white and perfect in its complexion. But the biggest change was my eyes! Before they were a brilliant sky blue but now? Now they were a dark blood red and they stared back at me as if they belonged to somebody else. I reached a hand out and gently touched my reflection. At least, I thought it was gently, but before I could think, the mirror shattered in front of me. I pulled my hand back, afraid that I might have been cut, but the skin there was just as perfect as it was before.

I glanced down at myself and was comforted by the fact that I was still wearing my uniform, minus the hat. "What's going on?" I asked aloud and was startled at the clarity of my voice. It was much deeper and smoother than before, almost as if I was singing bass in a church choir.

I heard footsteps outside the door and whirled around as a smell hit me like a gunshot. The flames in my throat flared immediately and my mouth filled with fluid. I didn't know what was behind that door and I didn't care. All I knew was that I had to have it and I wasn't concerned as to how. As if in response to my need, the door opened and something was shoved through the opening. I was completely unaware of my actions as I fell upon the pile of rags.

My hands sought what, I did not know, nor did I particularly care. Whatever this was, I needed it more than anything I have ever needed before. I was like a starving man with a steak; a man dying of thirst coming upon a cool stream. I sank my teeth into the rags and sighed in ecstasy as the warm fluid flooded my mouth. I groaned and sucked harder, gasping as the moisture soothed the raw flames in my throat. I clutched the rags closer to me, ignoring the snapping sounds as I crumpled it closer. Every amazing sensation I had ever felt before, a great meal, good drink, a touch of a beautiful woman, everything was forgotten as I continued to drink.

All too soon, no more liquid came from this strange flask and grunting in frustration, I pushed it away. The rawness returned to my throat, but it wasn't as painful, not quite as agonizing. A little more focused now, I glanced down at the strange pile of rags. My eyes widened as I realized what I had just done. Crouching down, I moved some of the rags and stared into a face. A woman's face. With a stab of agony, I realized that I had seen this face before. I had seen this face gaze into my eyes as she comforted her daughter on their way to Houston. Amelia was the girl's name. No, that was the name of the daughter. I never got this woman's name.

I dropped the cloths back down on her face and jumped to my feet. I looked down at her body and realized that the snapping sounds I had heard were her bones. Her bones! I held my hands in front of my face in horror. What had I just done? What had I become?

The door opened again, and I crouched down, ready to take on whatever enemy walked over the threshold. I was shocked as the three beautiful women from the night before glided into the room, kicking the dead woman out of the way.

"Good," the dark haired woman said, smiling down at the pile of clothes. "At least your appetite is strong."

I hissed instinctively. "What have you done to me?" I demanded, sinking deeper into the crouch. My eyes appraised the three women, and I was pleased to see the two blondes shrink back with fear. I was suddenly swept with my own feelings of fear. Startled, I pulled out of my crouch and tried to calm myself. I met the brunette's eyes, Maria, I believed was her name, and was shocked at how much more beautiful she appeared. And I noticed that her eyes, as well as Nettie and Lucy, had the same blood-red eyes as my own. "What is going on?" I asked, calmer this time.

Maria smiled smugly as she looked me up and down as if I were a horse that she was appraising. "I'm glad to see you are awake and eating well."

"Eating well?" I shouted, alarmed at my booming voice. "What have you done to me! I just killed that woman!"

Lucy and Nettie flinched again, but Maria stared into my eyes. "It's part of who you are now," she answered, matter-of-factly. She turned to Nettie. "Get rid of this body so he can concentrate on what I am telling him."

The girl obeyed, but I was surprised as a feeling of hatred rushed through me as she looked at Maria. She picked up the corpse and leaped out of the window. I watched in shock as she landed lightly on her feet and sprinted across the street toward the ocean. As I looked out the window, I was taken aback as I realized it was night time. _How long was I out? _I looked up at the moon and was amazed at how well I could see even without the light of the sun. I smiled as I leaned out the window, seeing each dark blade of grass rustling in the soft breeze.

The sound of a throat clearing caught my attention. I pulled my head back in the window and faced Maria and Lucy. Lucy had no expression on her face, but Maria looked impatient. "You need to pay attention, Major."

Major? I frowned as I tried to make sense of that title. Remembering suddenly, I looked down at my uniform again, realizing that Major was my rank in the Confederacy. I began feeling sudden frustration, but I wasn't sure why.

"I really wish newborns could pay attention," I heard Lucy sigh and I looked up to face them.

"Newborn?" I found myself asking.

Maria smiled, a rather patronizing smile at Lucy, and I found myself gritting my teeth in irritation. "He doesn't understand anything. Just give it time, Lucy. This one might be a keeper."

Another feeling of hatred swept over me, but I calmed it, still unsure of why. I didn't know these women, why would I hate them? Images of a dead woman's face filled my mind, but I couldn't quite remember who she was. My throat flared angrily as I remembered the feeling of her blood filling my mouth. I wanted more. I didn't care how or who, I just knew that in that moment I needed more.

"Maybe we should feed him again first," Lucy commented. "He is still thirsty. Actually, so am I."

Maria frowned. "I am feeling it too, even though we just fed not long ago." She pressed her lips together and tilted her head to study me. "Interesting."

"I will bring him more," Lucy spoke, exiting the room. Soon I was alone with Maria, and she approached me, walking around to analyze me from all sides. I inhaled her scent, appreciating the sensual aroma emanating from her as she pressed herself against me.

"W-what's going on?" I asked, closing my eyes as my breathing increased. I was aroused by the smell of her and I didn't understand why. "What are you doing?" She walked around behind me and wrapped her arms around my waist. I shivered, enjoying the feel of her.

"Interesting indeed," she purred and dropped her arms. She stepped back and my breathing returned to normal. As it slowed, I realized something strange. It didn't feel like I needed to breathe. I inhaled deeply, but it felt empty somehow. I inhaled again, confusion marring my handsome features.

Maria chuckled at the frown on my face. "Strange, isn't it?" she spoke. "If you would sit for a moment, I will explain everything to you."

My attention was brought back to the small Mexican girl, and I found myself obeying her. Even after all of this, it was still an instinct to follow the orders of a commanding officer. "What's going on?"

"Are you sure you are able to concentrate now?" she asked. At my nod, she continued. "I realize that this is very difficult for you to understand. As a newborn, your attention span is - shall we say - lacking, and it is hard for you to follow any one thing at a time. That will change as you grow older."

I forced myself to focus on her words, but it was difficult as the flames in my throat were growing stronger. "Why does my throat feel like it was on fire?" I asked.

Maria smiled. "Your body now craves blood. That and only that will soothe the ache in your throat, mi querido."

I frowned at the term of endearment. "Blood? So what am I? Some kind of monster?"

Maria chuckled, sitting on the bed next to me. "No, of course not," her tinkling voice laughed. "You are a vampire. Surely something as beautiful as you could never be called a monster!"

My eyes widened. " A vampire? Like in Polidori's* works?"

"You're well read," she responded.

"I get around."

"Well, then yes, just like his works. Anyway," she continued, "we aren't quite the horrific monsters like some of those stories. Have you not looked at yourself yet?" She glanced towards the broken mirror. "I can see that you have. Then you should know that we are like nothing else. We are like gods to these humans!"

"But we have to kill them to live? Like cattle?" I found myself asking. Surely this life couldn't be real?

"Doesn't everybody?" Maria answered. She nodded towards my uniform. "You, yourself have killed several times all in the name of war. Why should our killing for survival be any different?"

"Yes, but the men I killed would have killed me if I hadn't done anything. It's me versus them!"

"Do you think humans wouldn't kill us if they had the opportunity?" Maria argued. "You should just accept your new lot in life and enjoy it. Just feel how strong you are!"

I nodded. I had to agree to that part. As I opened my mouth to answer, the sweet scent of human flesh filled my nostrils again and my throat fired up. Suddenly I thought of nothing else. Not my new vampire life, not Maria, nothing. I just needed that smell in my hands. Needed that blood in my body. As if answering my call, Lucy and Nettie entered the room, followed by two drunks from the saloon downstairs. They gladly followed the beautiful women until they caught sight of me in the room.

"Eh, what's going on here!" one man demanded as he looked at me. "I don't go in for this sort of stuff!"

"Yeah, me neither," the other man slurred. He took in my predatory stance and began inching towards the door. "What's this all ab-" He never finished his sentence as I wrapped a hand around his throat and tore into his jugular with all the force of a lion into a gazelle. I shuddered again as the warm liquid poured into my mouth. The man struggled uselessly against my steel grip and I could feel his strength waning as I drained him of his life force.

Soon he was empty and I dropped him to the floor, blood still covering my lips and teeth. I turned to the other victim, but was beaten there by the three beautiful women. They covered the man, teeth tearing into his luscious flesh, sucking him dry. I wanted to turn away, the human side of me screaming that this was wrong. These men were both dressed in the same gray uniform as myself. They were allies! But the monster in me was much louder and just wanted to pull the women away and finish off the drunk myself. The smell of his blood was intoxicating!

Maria sat up primly and delicately wiped her beautiful mouth. She was much cleaner at this than I was, the other man's blood dripping down my chin. She reached up and wiped my face, bringing her hand to her own lips, cleaning each finger one by one.

"Now are you better able to focus?" she asked. At my nod, she picked up where she had left off. Waving to the two blondes who now stood behind her, she introduced them all. "This is Nettie, Lucy, and I'm Maria."

"Do you have last names?" I found myself asking.

Maria laughed. "We have no need for last names anymore. That is for humans. You are no longer Jasper Whitlock anymore either. You are now just Jasper. As we are no longer human, that is not necessary. Some things you should know about us is that no human is a match for our strength so we are the perfect predator. We never age -"

"What?" I asked incredulously looking at the beautiful women. Surely they couldn't be more than 18 or 19! "So how old are you?" Despite myself, I _was_ intrigued by the idea of never aging.

"Nettie was born in 1840, Lucy in 1795, and I was born in 1768. We have banded together for one thing."

"W-what's that?" I asked, leaning forward in spite of myself.

Maria smiled, her white teeth shining in the darkness of the room.

"Revenge."

***John William Polidori was an English writer. He is credited by some as the creator of the vampire genre of fantasy fiction. His most successful work was the 1819 short "The Vampyre", the first vampire story in English***

*****I hope nobody is too creeped out by the sensual act of the blood drinking. I'm writing it like that since in Breaking Dawn, Edward says that Jasper considers having sex to be second only to drinking human blood. So I'm trying to convey the sexuality in the act itself. Hence the M rating! But trust me, I am NOT that weird! :)*****


	3. New Friends

****I don't own Jasper, Maria, Nettie, or Lucy****

"Revenge?" I looked into Maria's large red eyes, now narrowed in anger. "Revenge for what?"

"For destroying everything!" she spat. "For taking my lands from me!" I could feel myself growing angry as her voice became louder. My lip curled back over my teeth and a low growl emanated from my chest. Maria noticed this and immediately calmed herself. The fury left me quickly and I sat back on the bed gently.

"From us," Nettie corrected smoothly.

Maria rolled her eyes at the girl all the while keeping a smile on her face. "Sorry, from _us_. We created you to help us."

I nodded, understanding the need for land. "Why me?"

"Because of your military background," Lucy replied, speaking to me as if I was a child.

"What Lucy means," Maria began to pace around the room, "is that we need soldiers. Soldiers to help us get my lands back."

I was silent for a moment, taking this all in. My whole life had been permanently changed by this woman. I still wasn't sure if it was for the better or the worse, but I did like the idea of still being in some sort of an army. I was comfortable with the army. I understood it. It made sense to me. And my upbringing did dictate that I help a woman in trouble, no matter which woman. No matter what they did to me, what they turned me into, I would always be a gentleman. That could never be taken from me.

"You see," Maria purred, "our lands were taken by us unfairly, and now we're fighting to get them back."

"And you need my help to fight," I added. At her nod, I frowned. "Why me?"

"Because of your military background," Lucy explained again, impatient this time.

I sighed back in exasperation, but again I wasn't sure why, as I wasn't feeling particularly edgy. "Yes, but there are hundreds of other soldiers. Why me?"

"I think you will be an excellent asset to our coven." Maria sat back down on the edge of the bed next to me and picked up my hand. An unidentified sensation washed over me. Lust? I thought. No, more like...jealousy?

"Coven?" I asked, shaking my head and pushing the weird feelings out of my body. "How many more are there?"

Maria smiled and stood up. "Come, we'll take you to the rest of our 'family' and you can see for yourself."

Obediently I stood, watching in disbelief as the three women jumped out of the window, Nettie and Lucy carrying the dead bodies of the two drunk men we had killed. I peeked my head out and widened my eyes at the distance they had fallen to the ground. Nettie and Lucy ran ahead, but Maria stood underneath the window looking up at me. "Let's go!" she insisted.

"I can't jump down there," I protested. "Why can't I just go through the saloon?"

I saw her toothy grin in the darkness. "We can't exactly have you walking through a roomful of humans in your current condition, now can we?" A strange fluid filled my mouth at the memory of the luscious liquid that flowed through human veins. "Trust me," Maria reassured me.

A feeling of relaxation spread through me and I suddenly trusted her completely. I stood on the window sill and pushed off, landing gracefully on the ground fifteen feet below. Shaken, I looked back up at the window from which I had just dropped.

"Come on," Maria coaxed, taking my hand. I allowed her to lead me away from the saloon, too busy noticing the speed at which we traveled to care where we were going. This new life was certainly fascinating!

Several minutes later, we stopped outside of an old abandoned barn in an empty field. I could hear growling and snarling inside the building and so was hesitant to step through the large doorway when I couldn't see the enemy. That was just smart military training. I didn't see Nettie or Lucy anywhere, so I looked questioningly at Maria. "Go ahead inside," she encouraged, gesturing to the door.

Taking a deep breath-once again marveling at the strange sensation of breathing without lungs-I stepped through the entryway. A feeling of rage and hatred enveloped me immediately and I reflexively crouched, ready to face these new opponents. There were eight of them-all male-in the barn before me. I turned around to look at Maria, but she was nowhere to be found. Confused now, I approached the rabble of vampires. They weren't attacking each other, but from the feelings in the room, it was only a matter of time.

"Who are you?" I heard an insolent voice ask from behind me. I whirled around, a rumble erupting from my chest. The young vampire I faced was shorter than me, maybe 5'8", but he was bulky. His chalky complexion stood out against his dark hair and he glared at me from beneath a wide brimmed cowboy hat. He didn't appear to be a threat however, so I calmed myself.

"My name is Jasper Whit—Jasper," I answered, remembering that I no longer had a last name. "Who are you?"

"I'm William," he answered, pushing himself away from the wall. As he approached me, I could feel anger pouring into me again, but not from him. I turned to face the others and was immediately struck by a heavy object in the chest. I flew through the barn doors, ending up on my back outside in the grass. Snarling, I bounded to my feet, ready to face this new enemy. One of the other newborns flew towards me, hands outstretched, teeth bared. I jumped out of the way just in time to see the redheaded vampire sail past me and land about twenty feet away. Grisly roars spewed from my lips as I crouched down, ready to spring. We faced each other, neither of us moving. I was still conscious of the human side of my mind, confused and unsure as to why I was being attacked. But the monster inside of me was growing stronger and louder by the second and my vampire instincts were beginning to take over.

The redhead charged me and I waited for a split second before jumping out of the way again. My enemy emitted a frustrated screech as he charged me again and again, and again I kept leaping out of the way. It occurred to me as this dance continued that I wasn't getting tired or breathing heavily as I had when I had fought battles for the Confederacy. I had no sweat on my face, and I was still as energetic as I was before we started.

The hatred for this vampire oozed out of my every pore and I didn't understand why, but I had to kill him. I didn't just want to. I _had _to! As soon as I came to this realization, the redhead lunged at me yet again and my strong hands whipped out quickly to grab hold of his arm. I dug my fingernails into his skin and whirled around. With a loud screech, the arm ripped free of his torso. I stood in the darkness, his arm still clutched in my grasp. I dropped the limb, horrified at what I had done. The loathing filled me again and I completely forgot about the arm. I spun on my heel, the spurs of my boots tearing through the ground and confronted my adversary.

"I'll kill you!" the redhead shrieked, his left arm seizing the back of my neck. I hissed and backed away, but I wasn't fast enough and his teeth latched onto my throat. Gasping, I wrapped my arms around his head and twisted at the waist, ripping his head from his body. For a moment I paused, my newborn brain unable to wrap itself around what had just occurred. I looked at the thing I had in my hands and growled as I stared into a face. I threw the head away from me and backed up, ready to take on anyone else who approached. As soon as I was free of the redhead's influence, however, the hatred quickly vanished and instead I felt despair. Despair at what I had done, at what I had become, and at what my future held.

I fell to my knees, staring at the lump of a corpse in front of me. "What has happened here?" I was dimly aware of Maria's beautiful voice penetrate the inner fog that surrounded me. I didn't look up when I saw her feet in my line of vision. "Major?" she asked, hesitant to get too close.

I lifted my head to look at her, my eyes hollow. "What have you done to me?" I whispered.

Maria started to smile, but as she looked into my eyes, her grin faltered. She backed away from me, a slight frown on her face. Before I could ask, she turned and ran back to the barn where the others still stood, watching me.

As I knelt in the field, aware of all eyes watching me cautiously, my throat began to itch severely. Absentmindedly, I scratched the marble skin and was surprised to feel a perfect set of bite marks etched deeply into my skin. My despair gave way to curiosity as I poked around the bite mark, aware of the stinging sensation as I scratched at it.

"What do you think of him?" I heard Nettie ask Maria.

"He's a magnificent fighter," she responded. "Did you see how fast he dismantled that other newborn? But I was right, there is something else about him that is very intriguing. I will have to separate him and figure out what it is. This one is interesting." I looked up at her words and realized that I could hear every conversation that was occurring more than fifty yards away! I smiled at that, and pulled myself to my feet, the dead vampire forgotten from my terrible newborn attention span. Or at least, I thought he was dead. Out of the corner of my eye I saw his arm twitching and the hand opened and closed as it clawed it's way through the tall grass.

"If you leave it alone long enough, it might figure out how to put itself back together," a voice came from behind me. I glanced over my shoulder and saw Lucy walking towards me.

"How do we die?" I asked simply.

"You had it half right," she responded.

"What's the second half?"

In answer, she held up a match and threw it on the pile of limbs. I jumped back as his clothes immediately caught fire. A strong sweet smell overtook us as the smoke billowed into the cool night air. I looked away from the carnage and Lucy caught my eye. Smiling, she held out her hand and taking it, I felt calmness again. She pulled me towards the rest of the group, all of them still standing quietly watching me.

Maria waited until I was once again amongst the group-one less now that the redhead was dead-and turned to face us all. "Now," she spoke, "I would like to explain what is going on here."

All eight of us stood quietly as Maria spoke of the current situation. She explained about a vampire named Benito who had created armies of vampires and had control of nearly half of Mexico and parts of Texas. But because they were causing too many human casualties in one region, an Italian group of vampires named the Volturi stepped in to destroy him and nearly every other vampire in the southern regions. She explained in a very irritated tone that her lands had also been taken during that time and her coven had been destroyed. There was an undercurrent of annoyance that ran through our group as her voice grew angry.

"So you see," she finished, gesturing towards Lucy and Nettie, "we have created you to help us."

"What do we get out of this?" a black haired vampire asked.

"The rewards will be great, never fear," Lucy piped up. "We will teach you how to fight and you will be disciplined and organized! No more fighting amongst yourselves." With this last statement, she made eye contact with me. I bristled as she pointed me out. I wanted to defend myself, saying that I didn't start that fight, but the last vestiges of the gentleman that I was wouldn't allow me to argue with her.

"First, we will be teaching you how to fight," Maria explained. She motioned to me. "Major, since you already seem to be a natural, could you help me if you please?" I obediently separated myself from the small group and stood about ten feet in front of her. Maria faced me, her eyes narrowed as she studied me. I watched her, unsure of what to do next. "Attack me," she ordered.

"Excuse me?" I asked politely, unsure of what I had heard. She wore a long blue silk dress with white kid gloves and tall black riding boots. Her long black hair was swept up and pinned on the back of her head and covered with a black lace mantilla. Surely she wouldn't fight in that getup?

"Come at me," she commanded again.

I shook my head at her. "Sorry, ma'am, I can't do that."

"Stop being a gentlemen," Maria demanded. At my continued refusal, she decided to try another approach. Before I could blink, she dove at me, her hand reaching out to slice through my gray coat. I looked down as the front of it was suddenly in tatters. I spun around just in time for her to hit me in the face with her elbow and I went down on my back. As I landed on the ground, the beast inside me awakened unexpectedly. With a vicious snarl, I threw myself to my feet just in time to catch Maria's throat in my hand. I caught her look of surprise as I lowered my teeth to her neck. But before I could hit flesh, I was thrown off of her by three of the other newborns.

The monster inside of me immediately switched my attention to these new adversaries. They were tall, all three of them at least my size, but as we began brawling, I realized that I was much faster and a far experienced fighter. As the first one-a burly Mexican-charged me, I ducked under his arms and lashed out with my foot, catching him across the back. I heard a loud snap as his spine broke under my boot and he shrieked loudly, falling to the ground in agony. Another one, the black-haired one from earlier, tried to take advantage of my inattention and grabbed for my head. I pushed off the ground with my powerful legs and jumped over him, landing lightly on his other side. Wrapping my arms around his chest, I squeezed with all of my newborn strength. He struggled for a moment, but began to weaken as I crushed every rib in his body.

I dropped him and turned to face the third vampire. To my monster's amusement, he had backed away in self-preservation, hands held up in surrender. I stopped my attack, growling deep in my chest. "Major, I think that's enough for now." My head snapped to the right to see Maria standing with her arms folded across her chest. Closing my eyes, I fought against the rage, taming it for now. The smell of burning flesh caused me to open them in order to see the two newborns disintegrate in the fire. I had won again.

Nettie approached me cautiously and laid a hand on my shoulder. "Okay, are we ready to learn now?" Instinctually, I snapped to attention and became the perfect soldier once again. After shedding my destroyed jacket, I focused my attention on Maria, Nettie, and Lucy. They stood in front of us, our numbers now at six. There was William, a brown-haired man named Nathan, a black man named Charles, another blond named Stewart, a teenage boy named Jack, and me. The women paired up with us and continued to take us through common battle tactics until the sun came up. As the fiery globe peeked over the horizon, a new jolt of excitement hit us all as we saw the strange reaction our skin had to the light. I was staring at my arm, fascinated with the diamonds on my skin, when the wind shifted and flames ripped through my throat again. Suddenly, we all smelled and heard a family walking along on their way to Sunday church in Houston.

Acting purely on instinct, the six of us advanced on the family, ignoring their screams as we fought each other in an attempt to be the first to reach them. Since I was the strongest and fastest, I beat the others and reached the humans first. I went after the father, since some small part of my human brain was still telling me to stay away from the woman and four children. Not that it particularly mattered, since the minute I sank my teeth into his flesh, the other newborns were tearing apart the rest of the family anyway. Somewhere far away, my mind heard their cries and pleading as we decimated them all in a matter of seconds.

When I finished feeding, I released my prey and jumped away from the others, breathing the smells around me. Reaching up to wipe my mouth, I was proud as I realized that I hadn't spilled a single drop this time.

All too soon, we were looking at the six bodies in a pile in front of us, unsure of what to do with them next. Maria answered the question for us and quickly disposed of them in the same manner as the other vampires from the night before. "That," she spoke, turning away from the massacre, "is your reward for your good practice last night. Just remember that for the future."

Good fighting equaled more blood. As I grasped the meaning of her words, I stared at this woman who was quickly meaning more to me than life itself. I looked up at the blue sky and realized that maybe this life wasn't going to be so bad after all. Little did I realize, the monster within was winning...

*****Please remember to leave a review! :) Stay tuned for Chapter Four: First Battle *****


	4. First Battle

*****I don't own Jasper, Maria, Nettie, or Lucy*****

"No, that's not correct!" I shouted, approaching my vampire troops. "If you do it like that, you're going to get torn to shreds!" I took the young vampire through the battle plans once again. "You want to circle around here and catch them from behind. They won't be expecting that."

It had been three months since my life had been altered forever. Since then, I had been training constantly, trying to become a brilliant vampire commander for my beloved Maria. Of course, the rewards were always amazing too. If I did well, she would sometimes bring entire human families to me for mealtime. I began to enjoy the hunt as they would try to escape. Of course, Maria was always there to help me finish them off.

We hadn't been to battle yet, but I was getting more than my fair share of fighting experience whenever Maria would bring other newborns into the mix. Several of them had attacked me, knowing that I was the strongest fighter, but I had made quick work of all of them. I was so experienced that I was quickly promoted within our coven and was given the task of training all of the newborns in preparation for battle. We hadn't fought any other vampires yet, but I was hoping it would be similar enough to all of the fights I had already been in, that I could teach them something of relevance.

As soon as I took over the training, a change had come over us. Suddenly we all started working together as one. Feelings were calm and relatively peaceful, even while we were having mock battles. It seemed to me that even Maria, Nettie, and Lucy were getting along better.. I assumed it was due to my abilities to train the troops, thus improving their chances at getting their lands back.

"How are they coming along, Major?" I turned to see Maria approaching. I couldn't stop the smile that crossed my face as I saw her gliding towards me, clad in a long white skirt and yellow blouse. She now wore my Confederacy coat and sash and it filled me with pride to see her in _my _clothes. She was quickly becoming everything in my new life, and I continually tried so hard to please her. She stopped next to me, surveying the field of newborns as they sparred with each other. There were now twenty of them, including me, and they were quickly becoming as trained and organized as any human army.

"Brilliantly," I answered, hoping for a word of praise. When nothing came, I tried frantically to impress her. "I think we're ready for a real battle."

She beamed at me, her dimples showing. If I had a heart, it would have started racing as she laid a petite hand on my arm. "Really?"

"I think so. I doubt that any other army will be as well trained as ours."

She nodded in agreement. "Come, we will need to prepare."

I called an end to the mock fighting, as it tended to go poorly if I wasn't there observing, and followed Maria into our barn. It was starting to become a little ramshackle due to the amount of bodies that flew through the walls, but it still suited our purposes. We had set up maps in one of the stalls a couple of weeks ago at my suggestion, and Maria and I studied them together, trying to decide where to attack first. "My lands were here," she said, gesturing around the Monterrey area. "Do you see any issues if we start there?"

I shook my head, already imagining a plan of attack. "What does the land look like? We should send a scout to figure out what and who we're dealing with first."

"Okay, you choose the man and he will –" she broke off at my refusal. "What's wrong?"

"It can't be one of them," I explained, gesturing with my thumb to the troops outside. "It has to be someone who has a little more control. We don't want them going crazy and getting themselves killed. I think either Nettie or Lucy should go. A female might be less likely to be destroyed outright, as well." And I didn't want to risk my Maria's life by sending her.

Maria pursed her lips. "You're right. I will tell them to go ahead and scout out the region to let us know who is there." She smiled. "I knew there was a reason I liked you so much!"

My chest lifted as she said this. I craved any attention from her I could get. I knew she got irritated with me every time she would have to replace any newborns I killed, but when they came after me for no reason, I didn't have much choice but to defend myself. I began to remember the second fight I had been in as a vampire.

_The first couple of weeks of my new life had been a bit of a blur for me as the pattern had continued in pretty much the same way. We would lay relatively low during the day, so as not to draw attention to ourselves, but at night, we practiced fighting in the field. Maria brought us four more newborn males within a couple of days and we included them in our training sessions._

_Three weeks into my new life, I was once again attacked by one of our own. I hadn't done anything to provoke the assault, just as before. I was merely drawing pictures in the dirt with the spur on my boot when out of nowhere, one of the newer recruits, a sandy haired young man named Ronald, grabbed a loose beam from the rafters of the barn. He swung it around with his newborn strength and smacked me in the back of the head. With a resounding crack, the beam snapped in two. While I didn't feel any pain, rage coursed through me and I jumped to my feet, lunging at Ronald._

_I made quick work of him, tearing him to pieces before anyone could blink. I promptly started a fire, using his remains as the kindling. The others in the barn stared wide-eyed at me as I calmly returned to my spot on the hay bale and continued my drawings, the rage temporarily subdued. Maria returned to us later that day and was definitely a little put out that she had to replace the vampire that I had killed. But in reward for my excellent battle skills, she pulled me out of the barn and led me to a small farmhouse a few miles away._

_We crouched down next to the fenced in cattle, watching the house. I could see the candlelight seeping from the heavy curtains on the windows and could smell the humans inside. "How many?" I asked Maria._

_"Four."_

_I turned to look at her. "I meant, how many do I get?"_

_She smiled her beautiful smile at me. "Four."_

_"Really?" I asked, astounded._

_"I told you the rewards would be great. Just be sure no one gets out alive to spread stories about us," she warned. With that, she vanished into the night, leaving me to my own devices._

_I stood up, noticing the cows shying away from me, as prey would shy away from any predator. I smelled their blood as well, but it didn't sway me from my original destination. It didn't smell particularly appetizing anyway. I calmly walked to the house and knocked on the door. A man answered, shocked to take in my disheveled hair and Confederate uniform. "Howdy," he greeted, assuming I was just a lost and tired soldier. "Can I help you?"_

_I shoved past him into the house, the warmth from the fire hitting my cold skin as I walked through the door. "What do you think you're doing!" the man shouted, grabbing my arm. I whirled around and using his surprise at my speed to my advantage, I sank my teeth into his neck. I still wasn't used to the amazing sensation of the warm liquid spurting from the human jugular and hitting my tongue, and my eyes closed as I enjoyed it yet again._

_All too soon, the man was empty and I dropped him to the floor. I scanned the rest of the house, but saw nobody. Inhaling, the flames ripped through my throat, proving the existence of more humans there. I stood in the center of the small room and listened quietly. Thump thump, thump thump…the human heart could always be counted on to give them away. There were three distinct heartbeats, one adult and two children. I leaped to the edge of the loft above me and scanned the beds. The smell was very near now and I grabbed the closest mattress and picked it up. A woman crouched in fear there, as well as a young boy of maybe nine and a girl of about six years of age._

_"Please," the woman pleaded, tears coursing down her cheeks. "Do what you want with me, just please don't hurt my children!" I considered for a moment leaving them, their pleas not falling on deaf ears. But at the worst possible moment, the young boy withdrew a dagger from his pocket to try and protect his family, accidentally pricking his finger in the process. As his blood began to leech from the tiny wound, I felt the last shreds of my humanity leave me and began feasting on the small family._

You want us to what?" I was snapped back to reality at Lucy's petulant voice as Maria gave her the order to scout out the area around Monterrey.

"I think it's necessary to find out who we're up against before we go running blindly into battle. Don't you think, Major?" Maria smiled sweetly up at me.

I nodded. "I think it would give us a serious advantage." The blonde woman's eyes narrowed as she looked at Maria and me. Nettie looked only slightly less annoyed, her small arms crossed in front of her. Her jaw was thrust out stubbornly and I was reminded of a small child who was denied her favorite toy. A strong feeling of irritation and hatred swept through me as I watched the interaction between the three women. Clenching my fists to contain my anger, I forced myself to calm.

Nettie suddenly relaxed and laid a hand on Lucy's shoulder. "Come, sister," she coaxed. "We will find out what the Major needs to know about our enemies." Lucy acquiesced and together, they flitted out of the barn, veering south.

Surprised at their sudden change of heart, I frowned. "That was easy."

Maria sidled up to me, putting her arm around my waist. "You have a way with people." I grinned and looked down into her beautiful face. Her free hand reached up to wrap itself in my hair and she lightly pulled my head down to reach hers. My breath quickened as her lips touched mine softly. I turned towards her fully and she pressed her luscious body against mine as I deepened the kiss, growling as her fingernails dug into my scalp.

I pulled away from her lips and began kissing my way down her neck when we were suddenly interrupted by a loud squeal from outside. I was enveloped with rage and I swore as I pulled away from Maria. Cursing violently, my hand released her waist and I stormed outside to put a quick end to the two newborns who had interrupted my very pleasant moment with my beloved.

As I left the barn, I heard Maria whisper to me. "Later, Major. Come to my bedroom at dawn." She sped out of the barn, heading towards the small farmhouse that she shared with Nettie and Lucy. Smiling broadly, I broke up the fight between the newborns and settled them all in the barn for the day. Soon, I was racing towards Maria's bedroom and shortly found out just how interesting being a vampire could truly be.

* * *

So what did you find?" Maria asked Nettie and Lucy when they returned a few days later. We were out in the fields watching the newborns training when the two women arrived. Maria motioned them into the barn and pulled me behind her.

As we entered the barn, I was once again filled with an inexplicable feeling of hatred. Tamping it down immediately, I frowned, shaking my head in confusion. For some unusual reason, I continually felt hatred around these two. I couldn't figure out why.

"Well," Lucy said imperiously, "there are two mature vampires named Francisco and Elena. They have an army of nine, but they're not trained like ours." I felt Maria watching me proudly. "They're living in a villa just east of the city."

I nodded in understanding. "We should be able to confuse them easily then. What kind of landscape is around there?"

"Not much," Maria admitted. "Mostly scrub brush."

I pursed my lips, studying the map. "That does make it a little tougher. So here's what we're going to do." I described an elaborate battle plan in which half of us would approach from the north, while the other half would loop around Monterrey and come in from the south.

"We'll surround them," Maria finished, an evil grin touching her lips.

"That's the plan," I confirmed.

Maria was suddenly all business. "Okay then. The Major and I will lead the troops from the north, while Nettie and Lucy, you two can go south and come back around."

"Actually," I interrupted, "I think I should lead the southern troops with Lucy, and Maria and Nettie should lead the north." I wasn't sure why, but I didn't want Nettie and Lucy to be leading the troops together. Something just didn't feel right about that. I decided that separating them was a much better idea.

Maria shrugged. "Whatever, that works for me."

"Okay, we'll split up as soon as we're across the river and Maria and Nettie, you will have to wait a few hours for Lucy and me to swing around the south. As soon as we figure out the day and time, we'll attack." I smiled. "It will be easy."

"The city will be ours," Maria hissed in agreement. "We leave tonight."

I gathered all of our troops and explained the battle plans in vague detail. They all listened intently, completely lathered up at the idea of a real fight. We started out the minute darkness fell that night, stopping at several different ranches and small towns to feed before we reached the Rio Grande. We swam across it with ease, and were soon in Mexico. It took us only a few hours to run the rest of the way to Monterrey and we stopped just north of the villa. We were downwind of the sprawl and could smell the enemy clearly. The ranch was silent at the moment, it being nearly noon.

"Okay," I told Maria and Nettie, " Lucy and I will take half and meet you in the middle. We'll attack at nightfall. Wait for my signal." At their nods, I divided the troops, making sure I didn't take all of the best fighters. There were several stand outs during our training and I divvied them fairly.

"Mount up!" I shouted, using the same terminology I used as a human. I heard a few chuckles and smiled. Some human aspects never seemed to go away. I shot a look at Maria, hoping that this wouldn't be the last time I saw her beautiful face, and turned around to sprint off around the villa. Lucy stayed by my side as we ran around the huge ranch, making sure we didn't get close enough for them to smell or hear us.

Soon, we were around the back of the villa and I signaled our troops to be silent. They stayed as quiet as I could expect, growling and snarling the only thing coming from them. I was having a difficult time concentrating as well, as I just wanted to get in there and destroy these enemies. I forced myself to stay calm, and Lucy and I crept up behind a fence and scanned the area. We could hear the others in the house, letting off such a ruckus as to make us think there were more than the nine that Nettie and Lucy had seen before.

We sat quietly for a few hours, waiting for the enemy to come out of their home for the night to feed. Around midnight, I finally heard a door creak open and one by one, they filed out of the house. With a furious roar to alert Maria and Nettie that we were on the move, I leaped to my feet and charged the unsuspecting foe.

Chaos reigned as we charged them. We severely outnumbered them, twenty-three newborns to their nine. It was decided before the fight that Maria, Nettie, and Lucy would merely lead the troops, not join them in the battle. I wouldn't allow the women to fight, as they were—well, they were women! They weren't supposed to fight! They stood on the outskirts, ready with fire to burn the remnants of our opponents.

I flew at the nearest newborn, a young man of about my physical age. He was a strongly built Mexican, but he was no match for me. I tore him apart the minute I reached him. Before I could turn around, another man jumped onto my back and dug his teeth into my shoulder. I hissed in pain and grabbed his hair, launching him into the wall of their house, blasting a vampire shaped hole through the wooden structure. He jumped back out of the hole and rushed me again. I growled and crouched, waiting for him. As soon as he was close enough, I launched myself into the air and shoved against him, knocking him to the ground. He was demolished in seconds.

I could hear squeals of pain and fright as the battle went on around me. I looked around for the older vampires, as I wanted to take them on to test my abilities. These newborns were too easy.

I couldn't see the elders on the battlefield, so I ran into the house, searching through the few rooms. As I was running out back to the barn, I was struck from behind by a heavy weight and knocked to the ground. I felt a sharp stabbing sensation as a pair of teeth latched onto my arm just above the elbow. Furious now, I heaved myself off the dirt, throwing my elbow back and hitting the attacker in the face. With a shriek of rage, the teeth released my arm. I whipped around and was face to face with a beautiful Spanish woman, clad in riding breeches and a long black duster.

Somewhere, my brain was protesting this attack, telling me that I shouldn't hurt this tiny woman. But the larger part of my brain, the newborn part, was telling me that I had to destroy everything and everyone in my path, regardless of their gender or size. That side triumphed almost immediately and I threw myself at the woman, my shoulder ramming into her chest. I could hear the cracks of her ribs as they were crushed under my weight and strength. She screamed as I landed on top of her, my thighs straddling her waist.

"We will still defeat you!" she screeched as I tore off her arms. Before she could say anything more, I had removed her head from her neck and dropped it nonchalantly in the grass.

"Beg your pardon, ma'am, but no you won't." I chuckled at my silly response to the corpse, and ran to rejoin the battle. As I rounded the corner of the house, I was astounded to see that the fighting had stopped. All of fifteen minutes had passed and Monterrey was ours! I did a quick count of my troops that had survived and counted eighteen-nineteen if you counted me. My soldiers had already begun rounding up the dismembered bodies and were piling them to start a fire.

I quickly retrieved Maria, Nettie, and Lucy and brought them to the scene of the battle. The smoke from the burning bodies created a large billowing plume which was difficult to see through. But I could tell by their faces that they were extraordinarily pleased with this victory. Maria turned big eyes to me. "You're injured," she stated matter-of-factly.

I reached a hand up to my neck to feel the new bite marks interlaced with the bite I received from my first night with Maria. I scratched it furiously for as soon as I thought of it, it began to itch severely. As did the one on my upper arm. "How many did we lose?" Nettie asked as she approached the tangy scented bonfire.

"Four." I smiled as I watched them light up in happiness. Even having been a vampire for only a few months, I knew that this was a victory such as none had ever seen.

Maria soon decided that we would stay on at the villa since the previous occupants had just been destroyed. She was so pleased with my battle performance, she even let me stay in the house with them, the rest of our army relegated to the barn again. I happily picked the bedroom nearest the entrance of the house, thinking that if we were attacked, I would be the first person they would see as they walked through the door.

* * *

As the sun rose the next morning, I chose to give our troops a day off. I felt that their performance from the previous night should be rewarded. I was sitting on the front porch reading one of the many novels that had been left in the house, when I heard the front door slam open. I looked up to see Nettie storm outside. "What are you doing?" she demanded, gesturing to the book.

"Reading," I answered slowly.

"I can see that," she retorted, rolling her eyes. "Why aren't you training?"

I shrugged. "I gave them a day off. They did well last night."

Nettie bared her teeth and I felt anger rolling through me. "They don't need a day off, they need to work!"

I jumped to my feet and lunged at her, backing her up against the porch railing. "I gave them a day off," I spoke through my gritted teeth. She hissed in response and shoved her hand into my ribs.

"Back off," she ordered. As I stepped back, she ran around me and into the house. I could hear her yelling for Maria.

I settled back into my chair with the book, flipping it open to the page I had been reading. Soon the door opened again, slowly this time. "Major?" Maria's voice floated outside. She stepped out onto the porch and I was struck once again at her beauty. She had changed into a silky red dress that I had never seen. Probably from the vampiress who had lived here before. "Would you please come inside? We need your help."

Obligingly, I set the book aside and walked into the house with Maria. I was surprised to see our maps of Mexico and Texas spread out on the dining room table of the house. I hadn't realized anybody had thought to bring them. Nettie and Lucy were currently hovering over them, pointing out various places in South Texas and Northern Mexico. "What's going on?" I asked, my brow furrowed in suspicion. "I thought we were just going to take Monterrey?"

Nettie and Lucy laughed at me. "Are you serious?" they both asked. "With the army we have out there, we're not going to stop here!"

Maria turned to face me. "Trust me, Major, it will all be worth it."

I was completely baffled now. "But we were just getting your lands back."

Maria shook her head. "No, that was just the start."

"So what are we going to do?"

"We're going to take Mexico."

*****Sorry it took so long to update. Real life tends to intrude sometimes! :) Hope you enjoyed!*****


	5. Casualties

***** I don't own Jasper, Nettie, Maria, or Lucy. Enjoy!*****

Our first loss came shortly after our victory at Monterrey. We had won a few skirmishes in the surrounding areas, but nothing of great importance. Until Maria decided to become greedy and send us over to Chihuahua to gain more land. I had protested at first, not liking the idea of heading so far from home, but as usual, she insisted and I caved to her will. I was determined to do anything to please her.

Lucy had proved to be a very proficient scout and so I sent Lucy out once again, much to her annoyance. This time I sent her along with a few soldiers for her own safety. They returned a week later to reveal that the army of Chihuahua was camped several miles outside of the city limits. But their leader, a young man named Roberto, was holed up in a brothel right in the middle of town. After much discussion, it was decided that I would kill the leader first, then together we would take out the rest of the army. We left soon after, ready to take control of another city.

We crept into the city, early in the evening, being sure to hide from the humans. I stalked the brothel with William, the vampire with the cowboy hat who I had met on my first day with Maria. I considered him my second-in-command, as he wasn't a particularly strong fighter, but he was very smart and was an incredible tactician. Therefore, I had chosen him to back me up on our special mission.

We ducked into an alley to avoid two drunk cowboys stumbling out of the saloon next door. Their smell hit my nose and flames ripped through my throat as I fought to maintain control. It wasn't as difficult for William, as he was nearing his year mark, while I was still only five months old. They passed us, shouting and laughing loudly. The smell of their blood was tainted by the whiskey they had imbibed, which made it a little easier to resist killing them. I still had to close my eyes and calm myself so I didn't jump out and rip them to shreds. I hadn't fed in a few days, so that was definitely not helping the situation.

"Focus," William whispered behind me. I nodded, assuring him that I was under control. His quiet demeanor helped me remember our original purpose.

I leaned my head back and took a deep breath, taking in all of the smells. I could smell the booze and smoke from the saloon, as well as the cheap perfume of the whores inside. There was also a tinge of sweet smell from the rooms above. The smell of another vampire. I motioned to William that I was going to jump into the upstairs room through the window above us while he was to come up the other side through the saloon. There was no way I was strong enough to walk through the saloon without taking a few humans down in the process. He nodded in understanding and disappeared.

Bracing myself for the coming fight, I pushed off with my legs and landed lightly on the balcony outside of the room. I could hear a woman's moans of ecstasy from within and realized I may have gotten the wrong room. I poked my head through the window and was shocked at the sight. It was definitely the room of the vampire since he was feeding off of the woman...at the same time they were _flagrante delicto. _I blinked my eyes at the sight, shocked as I pulled myself through the window. The vampire pulled his face away from the woman's throat the minute he caught my scent and growled at me, blood dripping from his teeth. The woman shrieked and jumped up from the bed, covering herself with the blanket.

My lips curled and I crouched as he leapt at me. It struck me as rather odd that I was standing in a bedroom-which smelled a lot like sex-fighting a naked man, but I focused on the fight I was about to face. "Roberto?" I asked.

His ruby eyes widened as I said his name. "Who are you?" he hissed.

"The man who's going to take your city." I threw myself at him, catching his chest and slamming him to the ground. He snarled deep in his throat as he reached for my throat. I grabbed his hand and, sinking his teeth into his wrist, ripped the arm off at the elbow. He screamed in pain and latched onto my forearm.

I hissed angrily and punched him across the face, ripping my arm free at the same time. I could hear the skin tear and flinched at the burning sensation. Roberto shoved me off of him and I flew across the room, crashing into the cabinet on the wall. It fell to the floor with a crash, toiletries scattering around the room. He followed my flight and caught me across the throat as I tried to stand. I felt his teeth in my throat and I struggled to push him off of me. Unable to pull free, I decided to try the opposite and wrapped my arms around his trunk. Squeezing with all of my strength, Roberto screamed in agony as I snapped all of the bones in his torso. He struggled weakly for a moment, then went limp. I jumped up quickly and dismantled his body. I wrapped his body parts in a sheet from the bed, intending to carry him out of town to burn the pieces.

I heard panting as I worked on my task, and turned to see William drinking from the woman-whom I had completely forgotten up until that moment. My thirst returned with a vengeance as I smelled her blood in the air. I ran over to her and grabbed an arm, my teeth tearing into her soft skin.

"Too late," William announced, slightly amused as he dropped her to the floor.

"Damn," I swore, disappointed I wasn't able to slake my thirst. I looked up to see William grinning at me. "What?" I asked. He gestured towards the mirror on the far wall with a nod of his head. Glancing at myself in the mirror, my eyebrows shot up at my appearance. My face was smeared with blood from the prostitute, and there was a large chunk of skin missing from my throat where Roberto had dug his teeth into me. Plus, my blond, wavy hair was completely standing on end from the tussle. Smiling, I grabbed a cloth from the wash basin and wiped my face clean and calmed my hair.

"Still a disaster, aren't you?" William joked, his red eyes flashing with humor.

"Hey, give me a break," I protested. "I had to kill him all by myself!"

"Yeah, sorry about that. I got caught up with a bunch of drunks downstairs, and I couldn't leave without drawing too much attention to myself."

I chuckled, picking up the sheet with Roberto's body. "I suppose we had better get back."

William grabbed the body of the prostitute and followed me out the window.

Maria was extremely pleased with Roberto's demise and we immediately began planning the attack on his ranch. We decided to approach the enemy from the west, looping around the town and hitting it from the other side. I put William in charge of the second wave of soldiers, me leading the first. We attacked at dawn this time, trying to keep the element of surprise on our side. They were definitely surprised at our attack. However, I was in for a shock of my own at their sheer numbers. Not expecting nearly that many, they had almost thirty newborns to our nineteen.

I threw myself into the fight, taking down several enemies before I was brought to my knees by a particularly vicious brute. He towered over me and threw me to the ground. I could feel cracks in my body as he slammed a knee on my chest. Snarling, I bit into his thigh, tearing a hunk of flesh through his pants. He yowled and jumped up where William was waiting to tear his head off. I sent a lopsided grin his way before I turned my attention to the others.

It was a brutal battle and we lost ten good fighters before I called a retreat. Maria wasn't too happy with me for that. Irritated at the loss, I said nothing as she yelled at me. I merely turned from her and led my damaged troops back to our villa in Monterrey, nursing the several wounds I had received. I had lost a finger to a nasty little female, but one of our soldiers had discovered weeks ago that if we licked our wounds, we could reattach our limb. It was kind of gross, but effective.

As we approached our home, I saw Lucy and Nettie waiting for us on the porch. I broke away from the troops and charged towards the house, allowing my anger to take over. "What the hell was that?" I shouted at Lucy. She raised her eyes to me defiantly. "How could you not tell me of their numbers!"

"I guess I forgot," she answered smugly.

"Forgot!" I roared as I grabbed the rocking chair from the porch and threw it across the yard. It smashed a hole in the nearby tool shed. "How do you forget something like that?"

Lucy narrowed her eyes at me and I was stunned at the hatred I suddenly felt sweep over me. I jumped over the porch railing and closed my hand on her throat, smashing her up against the house. "You killed half my men!"

"Then you're not a very good commander," she sneered. Her face began to show uncertainty and fear as my grip tightened on her neck.

I started to lean towards her, intent on tearing her throat out, when I then realized what I was doing. I stared at her in horror and pulled my hand away, stunned at what I had almost done. I staggered back and she and Nettie took that opportunity to flee. I turned to grip the porch rail, splintering the wood with my grip. I took several deep breaths to control my anger and watched as my troops trudged their way onto the ranch, looking mopey and miserable. This was our first loss, and I could tell that they were all taking it very hard. I decided to let the troops relax in the barn as I wandered to my bedroom to figure out what exactly went wrong in this battle.

As I sat in a chair in my bedroom, my eyes fell on a calendar that was nailed to the wall by the previous owners. I ran through the dates in my head, trying to figure out the actual date. I was stunned as I realized that it was December 24th. Christmas Eve. I quickly became depressed as I tried to imagine what my human family was doing during the holiday season. What had the Army told them about my sudden disappearance? Was I considered dead? Killed in a battle that had never actually happened? Trampled by a horse? I could only imagine the explanations my family had received.

I pictured them. My father, Henry, from whom I had inherited my height. My mother, Elizabeth, my blond hair and blue eyes. And my little sister, Madeline. She was only five when I left home to join the Army three years ago. Would she remember me at all? Would my parents explain to her who I was?

I became melancholy, lost in my memories, when Maria crashed into my bedroom, the door banging against the wall with a resounding boom. I jumped to my feet as she crossed the room towards me. Stopping just in front of me, she seethed. "We need to find more newborns. We cannot be humiliated like this again!"

"If you find me the newborns, I will train them," I responded woodenly.

She took my hand. "Come," she ordered. "We will head into Monterrey and find some humans to change."

I frowned. She had never asked me to go with her to change newborns before. "What about Nettie and Lucy?" I asked.

"They are searching around other areas. More to choose from. Plus," she pursed her lips at me, "after your little display, they don't really want to be around you right now."

I sighed and stood, following Maria into the city. However, we both soon discovered that bringing me along for a newborn hunt was a very bad idea. I tried to change three young men and a local prostitute. I ended up with nothing but a very full belly. I could sense Maria's irritation.

"Can't you control yourself?" she shouted at me as I drained the girl of her blood. Dropping the body, I bristled at her, angry at her tone. Not waiting for my response, Maria rolled her eyes. She waved in the direction of our home. "Just go home. I'll bring you some new recruits in the morning."

Nodding, I headed for home, slower than usual due to the sloshing in my stomach. I arrived just in time, as a fight was occurring in our barn. William was being attacked by a former Union soldier. Daniel, I believed was his name. And my friend was losing badly. Daniel was barely three months old and was much stronger.

By the time I got there, William was fighting as best as he could, given that he only had one arm left. I scanned the ground and found the other one lying off in a small bonfire. My lips curled over my teeth and I sprung in between them before they could cause anymore damage. I pulled Daniel away from William, hauling him up by his long brunette hair that was held in place with a leather strap. He turned on me, teeth bared. I punched him across the face and knocked him to the ground. "Enough!" I shouted, enraged at him. He was a great fighter, and I really didn't want to have to kill him.

Unfortunately, he didn't leave me much choice as soon as I turned towards William, he jumped on my back and sank his teeth into my neck. I swore angrily and launched him through the open barn door into the yard. I ran outside and quickly dismembered him. Disgusted, I looked at the pieces of Daniel scattered all over the field. "I didn't want to kill you," I sneered. Shaking my head, I walked back into the barn to check on William. He appeared to be okay, albeit a little bit sore from losing a limb.

"He jumped me when I wasn't looking. I should have paid more attention," William admitted.

I clapped him on the shoulder. "Don't worry about it. At least you're still alive."

William looked down at his boots and kicked the dirt. "Yeah, I guess." His desolate mood made me depressed, so I sent him out to the yard to work on training some of the older newborns.

As I sat in the barn, awaiting the women's return, it occurred to me that William would no longer be able to fight for us, given that he only had one arm. I was happy for him since he had been living in a barn for almost a year. He deserved to be free. Free to live his own life...whatever life he could have given the fact that he was a vampire.

Little did I know, that wasn't the fate that Maria had in mind for him. When she returned with three newborns to add to our army, she saw William sitting on a rock outside, sleeve neatly rolled up to his shoulder.

She pulled me aside. "What happened?"

"There was a disagreement while we were in the city," I answered diplomatically.

She sneered in disgust. "Well, he's useless to us now."

I nodded. "Yes, I think he should leave us." Maria looked taken aback. "What?" I asked.

Her eyes narrowed. "No one leaves my army."

"But you just said he was useless." At her sudden smile, the pieces all clicked into place. "You're going to kill him." It was not a question, merely a simple fact.

"No," she countered. "You are."

*****Hope you enjoyed! Feel free to leave reviews and stay tuned for Chapter Six: The Bonfire*****


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